| The primary subject of the Codex Leicester is water, which Leonardo explored in all its facets, experimenting with and theorizing about its movement, nature, and flow. Although the manuscript is an almost monographic treatment of water, and is as close as Leonardo ever came to a systematic exposition of scientific theses, it also vividly demonstrates the rapid flow of his ideas. Indeed, he seemed to have had brilliant thoughts in such quick succession that he could barely express an idea in writing or image before being consumed by a new one.
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A secondary subject of the Codex Leicester is light, which for Leonardo was closely related to water. He believed, for example, that in order to re-create nature in paint, students of painting needed to learn about the ways in which light is reflected and about the importance of the infusion of water vapor and smoke into the air. One of the most brilliant discoveries described in the manuscript is that the dimmer, secondary light of the crescent moon -- that which appears to be cradled within the crescent -- is the reflection of light from the earth and its oceans. This theory was first posited by Leonardo, and rediscovered nearly a century later by German astronomer Johannes Kepler, based on an idea of his teacher.
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